


Sailing Away

by nightmoonz



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Multi, Pining, Resolved Romantic Tension, Resolved Sexual Tension, little angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 10:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8887912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightmoonz/pseuds/nightmoonz
Summary: Kell and Rhy are traveling on a ship. Alucard's ship to be precise, and Kell hates it, but he especially hates how heavy his heart is and how Rhy can feel all of his troubles.Fluffy ending but so angstyCanon Divergent





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cynassa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynassa/gifts).



> Hi!
> 
> This is for Yuletide and dear god I hope the prompter (cynassa) likes this... If not I'm so sorry about that. I had a fun time writing it and thank you for how generous you were when it came to parameters of the fic. 
> 
> *hug* have a very happy holidays!!!!! *hug*

Kell looked out from Alucard’s ship, mesmerized by the waves. It was the only thing that didn’t make him angry as of late.

How long had he and Rhy been fantasizing about how “they were going to leave Red London and travel the world”?

Since they were kids, when Rhy’s parents still called Kell their son… It was a nice dream that Kell thought he’d never be able to experience and now that it finally came he almost hated it, simply because they were on his ship.

“Still sulking?” Lila had come up beside him suddenly, which caused Kell to roll his eyes.

“I, am _not_ sulking.” You could feel his exhaustion in his voice

“You are too,” Lila said as she stood next to him.

“I am not…”

“Kell.”

“Lila.”

“Kell, come on now, you’ve got to get over it. So we’re on Alucard’s ship what’s the big deal?”

“Because I hate that degenerate-blowhard.”

“Just because he’s seeing Rhy?”

“…”

“Ah, jealousy, it’s an interesting look on you.”

Kell turned to face her, “Get this through your head right now Delilah Bard. I am not jealous of Alucard.”

“Of course not, the great and powerful Kell has trained himself to feel nothing.”

“That’s not fair, and it’s not true.”

Lila eased up a bit, clearly, something was really wrong with Kell and she wasn’t about to burn that bridge. In all honesty, he was the one thing that kept her grounded, and when he smiled the worlds’ (both Red and Grey London’s) fell away into from her troubles. So she might as well try to repay him that kindness.

“You’re right, I was teasing, but clearly something is wrong. It seems like you won’t tell Rhy about what you're feeling, and you certainly won’t give Alucard the satisfaction of engaging him—well maybe you would but we both know; you would only consider it if it meant you had a chance at strangling him—So why don’t you give me a try? We seem to get along for the most part,” she grinned at him cheekily, “Really now, why are you upset?”

Kell let out a deep sigh, “You don’t know what Alucard put him through… When we were younger—Rhy was only 17 and Alucard both promised him the world and shattered his heart. Rhy has never really recovered from that, he’s like you.”

“Like me?”

“Yes, he—he’s good at hiding his pain.” Kell’s eyes welled up, “When he was younger he wasn’t like that, he gave, and _gave_. It's like he gave that scoundrel every single part of himself... he was always candid with what he was feeling. He didn’t realize there were several kinds of relationships people could have back then, not everyone is monogamous—

“Case and point, you and me,” Lila said as she grinned.

Kell gave her a soft smile. They did have an unconventional relationship to be sure. They had their own rules to their relationship and the relationship would change depending on the circumstance, but they had a certain understanding that they would always be there for each other.

“Yes, anyway Alucard has his ways, and Rhy at 17 didn’t know any better. Ugh, I was always wary of Alucard, like I said he was—is older, but he made Rhy happy so I kept my criticism at bay but when he broke Rhy’s, heart… I told him to leave and never come back. He at least had the decency to stay away for a few years, but then, of course, he comes back for the tournament, and not only did he come back, he had you, then went to visit Rhy while miraculously winning back his affection, which—Ha! I mean,” Kell let out a humorless laugh, “I’m just waiting for the day he hurts Rhy again, and I’ll have to be there to pick up the pieces, but this time he’ll know how deeply it hurts me to see him in that agony. He’ll know I—basically, there is no hiding this time around.”

Kell gritted his teeth and gestured to the scar that tied him to Rhy

“I just don’t think I can do it again, especially with you gone and taken a liking to that pirate as well.” Kell took a breath and sighed, “Fine, I guess the truth of it is I am jealous of him. He’s so careless with his emotions and affections and yet you and Rhy still flock to him. This was supposed to be freedom, this was supposed to be me and Rhy’s, but now it just feels like another prison.”

Lila was surprised at Kell’s confession but glad he admitted he was jealous, otherwise, Lila wouldn’t have been able to let that point go and to get to the real issue.

“Well at least you admit it,” she said candidly, “now what are you going to do about it?”

“What am I going to do?”

“Yeah? Are you just going to stand there or …?”

Kell looked really thoughtful for a while and then he knew what he had to do. He smirked at Lila, “I am finally going to take your advice. I’m going to run.”  
~~~

Below deck Rhy was safely wrapped up in Alucard’s arms, he felt safe there, like when he did when he was young, although this time he was wiser. He knew Alucard liked to play the field, nothing monogamous, and always very open. Rhy didn’t understand that as a mere 17-year-old but now that he was older he got it.

It was exhausting giving all of yourself to another person, and Rhy, as much as he loved Kell he was sick to death of feeling the weight of the world. Rhy didn’t shirk his responsibilities willy-nilly, he cared about his kingdom, his family, and his friends but now that he was tied emotionally and well physically, (while tragically not in the biblical sense) to Kell, and all he wanted was for those feelings to stop.

Rhy wasn’t sure when the feelings emerged but it was for damned sure that they had gotten stronger ever since Kell bounded them together by magic. So okay, Rhy did like Alucard a great deal, but if he were to be completely honest with himself he had developed slightly stronger feelings for his adoptive brother. Emphasis on the adoptive part, even in Red London, sleeping around with blood relations is not a welcomed practice. And Kell? Who would know!

Kell made it so that Rhy felt like he was in emotional turmoil every second of the day. Rhy had been able to distract himself while fighting the possessed Holland, but now they had beaten the last bit of magic from Black London (and hell they even saved Holland for their trouble.) So now, of course, there was nothing to distract himself with, he just had to deal with the fact that some days… some days Rhy just wanted to wake up in Kell’s arms instead of anyone else’s.

But alas, Kell had his freedom, and he had Lila to keep him company, so what was the problem? It just didn’t make any sense, Rhy felt Kell’s heart hurting, with a slight twinge of… was that jealousy? Wait—this is Kell we’re talking about definitely not. He’s just sulking, but why in the name of magic was Kell hurting at all? Rhy figured he must be imagining things—even still he decided to get up and get to the bottom of it, all the while managing not to wake up Alucard in the process. Rhy smiled, Alucard for all of his quirks was a good person and that was evident especially now that he explained why he ended up leaving the way he did. It didn't automatically make it ok, but he answered all of Rhy's questions and was earnest in his replies.

He had barely gotten out of the captain’s barracks when he heard Lila.

“Rhy?” Lila said it was a statement not so much a question. “Well this is a record, you’re up before noon,” Lila smirked at him like a cat stalking its prey.

“Yeah, yeah,” Why waved dismissively, “What’s wrong with Kell? He feels moody.”

“It is funny that you two feel each other as much as you do even after the mortality bond was severed, I guess some connections never die.” Lila smiled

“Yeah I guess…” Rhy blushed, “So… what’s the problem with Kell?”

“He’s upset in… general.

“What? Why? What’s happened now?” Rhy groaned

Lila raised an eyebrow in response, “Because he can’t stand you and Alucard galavanting about the way you are.”

“Ugh, I’m not a kid anymore, I suppose he’s told you—”

“He has, and that’s not the point right now Rhy. You know he loves you right? He’s like me, we both feel like we’re the bits of bread that people forget at the end of the day. Meanwhile, you and Alucard have it all. I’m alright being on my own, it feels safer for me, but I know it bugs Kell. It especially bugs Kell that he’s not with you.”

Rhy blushed, “That’s not—we’re brothers.”

“No you’re not—he’s as related to you as I am to the current King of England. He loves you Rhy and he’s sick of waiting.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Lila couldn’t help but cheekily grin on one side, “Well Rhy, he’s going to run so you should probably find out.”

~~~~

Rhy finds Kell packing and Kell assures, “His majesty the crowned Prince” that he needn’t worry because they aren’t family anymore, first Rhy’s parents and now Rhy has shown he feels the same way, so Kell promises he’ll be off at the next port.

Rhy is so taken aback that at first he cannot speak and after Kell is finished talking Rhy barely speaks above an audible whisper, “You don’t mean that… I—I… You can’t mean that, I can tell when you’re lying now remember?”

Kell just looks at him, “I’m not lying Rhy.” Kell felt like someone was squeezing his heart to try and stop it from beating. “I am leaving. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t watch you hang yourself all over Alucard and see you pretend you don’t remember how much he hurt you the first time. I’ll know what will happen so I really needn’t watch it.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“What does our link tell you?”

“K-Kell this was supposed to be ours. Our trip, our freedom.”

“You mean your trip, don’t you? I think this is the first time you’ve spoken to me since we’ve been on “HIS” ship. If you want to keep pretending that this was the adventure you and I had planned since we were boys then fine. YOU keep pretending. I’ll go somewhere else, somewhere I will never bother you again.”

Rhy looked like he was about to cry which even if Kell was resolved… it would break that in a heartbeat. But no. No! Kell wasn’t the one in the wrong here… was he? How come Rhy gets to cry and gets to be upset about all of this? Alucard has everything dammit! A Ship. Lila. Rhy. Couldn’t just for one time Kell get the break he so desperately deserved? What was so wrong with him? His own parents left him, his adopted parents disowned him. Alucard has taken Lila and Rhy away from him. So what’s the point in pretending anymore?

Lila was always a free agent and Kell knew that. It didn’t hurt as much with Lila. Not because he loved her any less than Rhy but it was different. Rhy was more than love, more than lust, Rhy was home. However, it looked like Rhy had picked a preferable tenant in Alucard.

Alucard. Fucking. Emery.

Wherever Kell went, no matter what he did Rhy would always see Alucard ahead of Kell and the thought of that made Kell sick, which no doubt Rhy was experiencing. Why looked like he was about to speak but Kell had, had enough.

“No Rhy, no I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear how sorry you are for hurting my feelings, how you feel like it’s unfair because you know what? You don’t have a clue of how hard it actually is to see someone you love hurt as much as I’ve seen you hurt by that layabout. You haven’t seen the person you love, choose everyone, _but_ you. Honestly, Rhy, what is it? What does Alucard Emory have, or any of your countless lovers have, that I don’t? Or is it really as simple as you just seeing me as your parents did? I’m a tool, a useful, sentient tool, or weapon, or pet—or what have you… A-Am I really not worth anything to you? Am I just a pathetic little—

Rhy grabbed Kell’s shirt collar and tugged him forward and softly pressed his lips to Kell’s. Rhy mentally berated himself, he should have been more conscious of Kell especially now they were bonded…

“K-Kell, no, none of those things. No… please don’t go.” Rhy rasped

Rhy saw that something had changed in Kell, and before Rhy could say more, Kell crashed his lips against Rhy’s.

They had, had so much between them.

They grew up together and watched out for each other but they always kept a safe distance, they could never allow themselves to get too close they were “brothers” after all.

But in that moment they both thought the same thing, ‘Who cares?’

Kell may have started the second more passionate kiss, but Rhy matched his fervor, but then suddenly shoved/pinned him against the wall of the ship, “You were really just going to go? Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye? Do you remember what happened the last few times you did that? You were tortured by that idiot Holland and Father banished you—”

“Your father banished me.”

“Yes, my father… my stupid father who all of a sudden decided you weren’t our family anymore, and that’s stupid. I’m sorry that it happened at all but… you were really just going to leave me?”

Kell swallowed hard, “You didn’t seem like you’d miss me… Lila’s here and Alucard…”

“Well sure… but Kell they’re not you—they never will be… Don’t go.” Rhy begged

Kell pressed their foreheads together, “I love you, you know… I love you Rhy, and I’m sick of pretending I don’t… can we give this a try?”

“Yes, Kell. I’d love nothing more.”

Rhy kissed Kell and instantly their hearts felt lighter.


End file.
